Shannon Sharpe completely avoided any talk of the bombshell $50 million lawsuit filed against him during the latest episode of his podcast.
The former football star, 56, went live on “Nightcap” alongside fellow NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and NBA Legend Joe Johnson on Monday — just one day after a Jane Doe accused him of rape.
The trio kept the conversation centered on sports and the ongoing NBA playoffs instead of Sharpe’s highly publicized legal woes.
Although Sharpe did not bring up the lawsuit, the live chat box was filled with comments about the situation — but he didn’t take the bait.
Shannon Sharpe did not address the recent lawsuit filed against him on Monday’s episode of the “Nightcap” podcast.
The former athlete kept the focus on sports when he went live.
The former Baltimore Ravens star was also on the air during ESPN’s Monday morning episode of “First Take” with Stephen A. Smith when news of the filing first broke.
Over the weekend, a woman accused Sharpe of rape and battery in a shocking lawsuit filed in Nevada. He vehemently denied the allegations.
The Jane Doe, whose identity is being kept confidential, alleged that Sharpe sexually assaulted her multiple times at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.
She claimed to have met the former athlete at a gym in Los Angeles in 2023 when she was just 20 years old. He was in his early 50s at the time, per the lawsuit.
He did not reply to the hundreds of comments about the lawsuit. Getty Images for SiriusXM
Over the weekend, a Jane Doe accused the NFL alum of rape and battery. Getty Images for The Webby Awards
Doe claimed the “Club Shay Shay” host “incessantly pursued” her by calling, texting and “demanding she come” to his Beverly Glen mansion.
“What followed was the beginning of a rocky consensual relationship that lasted nearly two years,” the lawsuit read.
The woman claimed she found herself in a “cycle of control, fear, and submission” with Sharpe.
“Yelling at her, controlling her, forcibly grabbing her by the neck when he got upset, saying he was going
to ‘kill her,’ and asserting dominance became the norm,” she alleged in the lawsuit.
The Jane Doe filed the lawsuit in Nevada. Getty Images
She is seeking $50 million in damages. Xavier Collin/Fox/PictureGroup/Shutterstock
Doe alleged that Sharpe treated her “like an object,” controlling her “not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically,” per the docs.
The woman claimed she feared for her life after getting into an explosive argument with Sharpe while there “was a firearm visible” in his room.
“Terrified for her safety, Plaintiff tried sharing her location with friends from her iPhone — just in case,” the lawsuit alleged. “But Sharpe saw her doing this. The moment he realized what she was doing, he grabbed her by the neck and told her ‘If you ever do that again, I will fucking kill you.’”
Doe said she “began to pull away from Sharpe” after he was heard having sex with another woman on Instagram Live in September 2024 — despite assuring her “they were in an exclusive relationship.”
She claims the former NFL star raped her on two different occasions. Getty Images
She claimed her relationship with Sharpe began in 2023, when she was 20 and he was in his mid-50s. Getty Images
She claimed Sharpe “forcibly anally raped her” the following month, “despite her sobbing in agony as it happened.”
The woman alleged that he assaulted her again in January 2025 when he came over to her house under the guise that he had a gift for her.
She claimed he raped her without a condom as she “screamed and sobbed.”
Elsewhere in the lawsuit, Doe alleged that Sharpe recorded several of their sexual interactions without her consent and shared the videos with other people.
Sharpe denied the accusations in a statement shared with Page Six. FilmMagic
The media personality claims the two had a consensual relationship. Getty Images
She is seeking $50 million in damages from the Hall of Fame tight end, who recently made headlines for eyeing a $100 million-plus podcast contract.
Sharpe denied her accusations in a statement provided to Page Six by his legal team, insisting that Doe is trying to score a major financial settlement.
“Mr. Sharpe categorically denies all allegations of coercion or misconduct – especially the gross lie of ‘rape’ — and will not submit to what he sees as an egregious attempt at blackmail,” Sharpe’s attorney, Lanny J. Davis, said in the statement.
“He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court. He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on the facts and the law.”
Sharpe alleged that the woman is trying to get a large payout. NBAE via Getty Images
He said the lawsuit is “filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations.” Eric Canha/CSM/Shutterstock
Davis called the lawsuit “a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars. It is filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.”
The attorney also shared dozens of sexually explicit text messages that the women allegedly sent Sharpe throughout their relationship.
They claim the messages “indicate the nature of their relationship was consensual and sexual in nature — and, in many cases, initiated by her with specific and graphic requests.”
“These messages are just a sampling of a broader pattern of graphic, sexual communications initiated by [Doe],” Davis wrote. “The evidence paints a clear picture: this was a consensual, adult relationship that included role-playing, sexual language, and fantasy scenarios explicitly requested by [Doe].”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
